Center for Research and Security Studies

Transcription
Series: Sabawoon
Program: Jwande Jazbe
Topic: Squash
Date: 09-07-2014
Guest#1: Tahir Iqbal Khan (International Squash Player and Coach from Bannu)
Field Story 1: Attique Shinwari, a tribal youth from Khyber Agency who reached to national team of football

Anchor Person: Saima Gul
Co-Anchor Person: Khan Baba
Additional Info:









Summary: âIn Pakistan squash has been declining, not just because of lack of sufficient funds allocated for this game, but due to negligence on part of the squash legends, who didnât concentrate on their juniors. Government has adopted step-motherly treatment to other games except cricket. Had they rendered equal treatment to other sports like cricket? Pakistan ruled the world for over four decades in squash, but after legends Jahangir and Jansher Khan, the country has failed to produce even a single world champion, because the game goes totally unnoticed. The youngsters have potential and we hope Nasir Iqbal and Amir Atlas will bring back old glory days of squash. Jahangir Khan, Jansher Khan and other squash legends should come forward and play their due role for nourishment of the game in the country. Our children want to represent country only in cricket, because of charm, money and media attention, the cricketers have in the country. How could one expect players to give outstanding performances, when they are not given the respect they deserve?â Tahir Iqbal (Squash player and coach)
Saima Gul: Peshawar has produced seven world squash champions, who glorified the name of the country across the globe. Mr. Tahir Iqbal Khan is also a squash player and currently coaching young players. He shall further describe himself to the listeners?
Tahir Iqbal: My family is from Bannu district, where neither people are interested in sports nor sporting opportunities are available. Presently we are living in Peshawar and I availed an opportunity to represent Pakistan in British junior. Besides, I have taken part in squash events at universities level of the world. I have played for Higher Education Commission (HEC) as well and won many medals. It is said âSweat plus sacrifice equals successâ. We should stay sincere with our profession and believe in hard work.
Saima Gul: There is long list of games, why did you opt for squash?
Tahir Iqbal: In the beginning, I didnât know even about a, b, c of squash. I used to play cricket, football and other games with other children in street. My father was not happy with the environment. He was serving in Qayyum Stadium Peshawar where squash legends like Jan Sher Khan and Qamar Zaman used to bring their children for playing squash in the stadium. This inspired my father and he forced me for this game. In 2005, trails were conducted for British Junior and two players were selected from the whole country, I was also among them. In this way I visited UK to participate in British Junior where I performed well. Squash seemed to me attractive after this visit and I decided to go for that to enjoy name, fame and luxury like other players.
It is an activity requiring physical exertion and competition, which is not possible without self-confidence and trust in yourself and your abilities. In cricket or football, a player can be replaced, in case he injures, but squash is an individual game. First match of my career was with Sheikh Saqib, Pakistan no 1 and I defeated him that encouraged me a lot.
Khan Baba: We have legends in Squash like Jahangir Khan, Jan Sher Khan, Qamar Zaman and many others. I was inspired from them and they were a great asset to the country.
Tahir Iqbal: the records set by Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan is impossible to be broken at present, since like other games, squash is getting fast and glamorized. Nasir Iqbal, Pakistan No 1 senior squash player, is my brother and he is just 20. He arrived to Peshawar today after attending an event in India. He defended the title of Asian senior and in this regard the tournament was recently conducted in Hong Kong. One million persons are playing squash in the world and he is world no 40.
Saima Gul: Mr. Tahir, what is the advantage of sports?
Tahir Iqbal: Children have lot of potential and physical strength; we need to involve them in physical activities, which help in their growth and grooming. Tendency towards sports is not encouraging in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in particular and Pakistan in general. A famous quote is âHealthy physique, healthy mindâ. By involving in physical games or exercises, one will have mental fitness and his retaining power will also increase. Sport is an activity that diverts, amuses and stimulates. School students must be involved in sporting activities to build a healthy nation. The doctors also recommend regular exercise or walk to its patients. Mobile and internet are biggest extraction at present destroying the health and precious time of the youth. Parents require involving their children in physical activities.
Saima Gul: Most of the youth uses you tube, face book and other popular social sites for chatting purposes or watching movies and listening songs that create health problems for them. For example those children who use internet or computer immensely, they often complaint for losing eyesight or they face fatness problem.
âReportâ: âMy turning point in the career was, when national bank selected me to play for it. I was selected for national football team as well in the same year, which was my good fortune otherwise there are many talented guys than me in Fataâ.
Reporter: These words were spoken by Attique Shinwari, a football player from Landi Kotal Khyber Agency. Like other players of Fata, he also suffered due to lack of opportunities. To quench his thirst for the football, he used to play in rough grounds of the agency. He further added that he started playing football in High School Landi Kotal where every year football tournament organizes on 14th August.
Footballer: âOne thing we should keep in mind that without hard work, we cannot achieve success in life. I am thankful to God for giving me this status and prestige. Before the selection, I never found opportunity to participate in any mega event except playing on Independence Day, where football tournament organizes every year. My senior players were great inspiration for me and would keenly observe their style of playing and learnt many techniques from themâ.
Reporter: He is part of the national team since 2003 and during this period, he played number of international events.
Footballer: âInitially I was interested in cricket, but later I induced to football. National Bank appointed me in 2003 and then I was chosen for national team. Pakistan has won several international events of football. We won Safe games in 2003, then a series in India in 2005 and Nepal in 2007. In 2008 and 2009, Pakistan football team visited Sri Lanka and Thailand respectively and gave good result in the events. I am hopeful for a good prospect of football in the country.
As far as my education is concerned, I studied till 10th class and couldnât get further education. I left education incomplete, since with sport, it is not possible to study properly. I couldnât manage to acquire further educationâ.
Reporter: He imparts a message to the youth as under:
Football player: âjunior needs to respect their seniors and try to learn from them. I have no godfather, but I was keen to learn. We should try to copy the good habits of our seniors. There was no academy where I could enhance my skill, but my seniors were like an academy for me and I got inspiration from them. It was in my mind that Fata is a backward area, and no footballer has reached to national team from the region. Therefore it was my great desire to enter national team and was struggling hard for thatâ. Endsâ¦
Khan Baba: Mr. Tahir Iqbal, being a Squash coach, do you support your juniors?
Tahir Iqbal: There are three levels of coaching proficiency at international level and after attaining them solely on the basis of merit, a person is qualified coach as well as member of world squash federation. I have attained two levels of coaching and for completion of C-level, I will have to go Europe for further training. During this training, we learnt about injury prevention, medical treatment and physical training etc. Those squash players are entitled for the training who are graduates. I am also doing M.Sc. in sports sciences.
As far as Khan Baba question is concerned, Bannu is a backward area. I and my brother Nasir Iqbal faced a number of problems due to financial constraints and absence of environment. There are many other youth, who have talent and want to join squash, but they lack opportunities and facilities. Squash is an expensive game, the price of one racket is Rs.8000 and ball is Rs.200. Sport kits are sponsored to Nasir Iqbal by international companies and he distributes extra racket and balls to poor players. I am a qualified coach and serving needy young players at Qayyum Stadium Peshawar. I am confident about these children that they will give result in the future.
Khan Baba: It is also a sort of worship to serve the nation and help out unprivileged segment of the society.
Tahir Iqbal: Nasir Iqbal and I want to setup an academy in Peshawar and to serve those players, who cannot afford the expenses of squash. In the country, squash is declining, because legends like Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan didnât concentrate on young players and to transfer their skills and techniques to them to enable them to shine at Squash events. Pakistan Squash Federation couldnât produce talent in squash after finishing of Jansher Khanâs career.
Saima Gul: Squash has neither charm like cricket nor it is concentrated in the country. Does sport affects the education process?
Tahir Iqbal: I think education should not be affected. When I selected for England tour, my father was angry with me. He told me it will affect your education. I assured them that I will continue both education and sport. During examinations, my father forced me to leave Squash, but I told them that sport is necessity of life. Through time management, we can focus both things. However my brother Nasir Iqbal couldnât continue education after first year, since the education is complex and tough in Pakistan as compare to European countries. Likewise there is no encouragement for sports in the country. Moreover Nepotism and favoritism have almost destroyed sports in the country, owing to which talent is being suppressed.
Khan Baba: Like Cricket, other international games i.e. football, squash, tennis should also be focused in the country. Pakistan has remained world hockey champion in past.
Saima Gul: We have talent in football as well, then why the game couldnât flourish?
Tahir Iqbal: Pakistan is at No-156 in world football ranking. The game has no charm and popularity in the country. We need to produce football players at school level by giving them proper training and a conducive environment. Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan were world squash champions, because they had squash background and both have father and brother in this game respectively. We donât have nursery to foster and grow footballer in the country.
Saima Gul: There is no tradition of playing football in streets. Media can play a vital role in promoting sports and divert the attention of the people to involve their children in games. Sport is inculcated in curriculum of west and there is concept of activity based learning.
Tahir Iqbal: I have seen in Europe that school children are involved in games and tournaments are organized between them. Students are given special marks in examinations, who take part in games as well as they are offered scholarship. We need to introduce such system in Pakistan too. As compare to the province, Punjab is focusing on sports and entertaining their sport players. Recently a student of Punjab University won 2nd position in universal body building competition. It is because players are encouraged and financially supported there.
Khan Baba: Without interest of children, they should not be forced for a specific field, since it may not be helpful for him to build a good career.
Saima Gul: Most of the private schools in the country are not more than money minting institutions, since these institutions donât have sports facilities like ground rather maximum numbers of rooms are built in school to have more enrolment and make money.
Tahir Iqbal: I have studied from government-run institution, where grounds were available for football and hockey thatâs why the school was producing good players at provincial level in these two games. But due to low standard of education in public schools, parents send their children to private schools. In Civil Quarter Peshawar, there was a big ground for football while small children used to play different games in the ground, but it has been converted into housing flats.
Saima Gul: Has unrest and terrorism impacted sports in the country?
Tahir Iqbal: peace and tranquility is linked with sports, which is why a sportsman is called the ambassador of peace. We are undergoing mental stress, because of no healthy source of entertainment. For example, neither proper family parks are available for families nor sports grounds for the youth where they could entertain. We are promoting the game in Pakistan and want to present a positive image of the province before the world.

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